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J. J. SCHOLFIELD. Art of Putting up Fabrics. No. 229,759. Patented July6,1880.

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(No Model.) J. J. SOHOLFIELD. 3 Sheets-shew; 3.

Art of Putting up Fabrics. No. 2292759. Patented July 6, 18810.

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N PEI'ERS. PHO'lO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C,

UNITED STATES To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH J. SGHOLFIELD, of Providence, in the countyof Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in the Art of Putting up Fabrics which are made, bought, orsold by linear measure into merch antable packages and purchasersparcels, for storage, transportation, sale, or delivery, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Webs of valuable fabrics seem to become, as soon as manufactured, aconstant temptation to depredation, not only to those who would takethem bodily, but also to a more numerous class who occasionally clip offa garment pattern, which, if not done on too large a proportion of webs,commonly escapes detection. A knowledge of this practice of pettydepredation has led to another practice, its equivalent, but even morepernicious, which consists in constructively cutting off a patternsurreptitiously, although the web suffers no actual curtailment, andexists in its original integrity and amplitude.

The constructive clipping is done in this way: A dishonest merchantpurchases a lot of webs from a manufacturer. The purchaser, on receivingand opening the goods, falsely claims that they fall short of themeasure charged in thebill, and demands repayment for the fictitiousdeficiency. But however confident the manufacturer may be that his goodswere in the first instance accurately measured and ticketed, he cannotprove that a mistake was not made in both or'either of these operations,nor that the goods were not clipped before .leaving his warehouse, norwhile in transit to the merchant who alleges error and claims adrawback; and since there is the possibility of inadvertent overchargein all such cases, and it actually exists in a few, the manufacturercannot be sure that the claim is not honestly'made, and he usually feelsconstrained to refund the alleged overcharge.

These reclamations have become so frequent and dishonest claimantssimulate honesty so skillfully that impostnre is seldom detected, sothat manufacturers have come to regard such claims asan inevitablediscount upon prices, which theyallow the more grudgingly because itoperates as a discrimination against PAT NT OFFICE.

JOSEPH J. SOHOLFIELD, OF PROVIDENGE, RHODE ISLAND.

ART OF PUTTING UP FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 229,759, dated July 6,1880.

' Application filed May 4, 1880. (No model.)

"integrity and upright dealing and in favor of dishonesty and fraud.

Numerous plans have heretofore been devised for putting an end to thispernicious state of things, but its continuance proves their failure,and an eflicient remedy still remains a desideratum, which it is theobject of my invention to supply.

My remedy consists in putting up each piece of fabric with a certificateof its identity and linear measure annexed to one or both of its ends,such certificate to be authenticated by a signature, sign, stamp, ormark, and its annexation to the fabric to be secured by a seal, rivet,lock, or other efficient means. And as a further and additionalprecaution against error and fraud, I combine such annexed certificateswith the automatic measurement of each web and the automatic registry ofits measure upon its own selvage by a method which excludes error.

As a less perfect but still highly efficient, and, so far as I know, asufficient, method of guarding against errorin measurement or pretification and billing of goods, I make on the ticket to be tagged tothe fabric, on the certificate or certificates to be annexed to theselvage, and on the stub to be preserved as the original record fromwhich entries on books and items of bills are to be derived, asimultaneous tally in duplicate, triplicate, quadruplicate, orquintuplicate, as the case may require, of the number of the piece offabric, the number of yards it contains, the number of its style orquality, the number of the case in which it is packed, or any other markor sign for the identification of the piece of fabric and record of itsmeasure, or for any other purpose, such multi ple tallying of eachnumber or mark renderin g it hardly possible to make any error thereinwithout instant detection.

The measurement of the fabric being thus certified or authenticated bythe manufacturer To guard still further again st errors in the cerorother seller of the frabric, if any overcharge of length should be madein billing, the error could be shown by the buyer after receiving thegoods by cutting out the piece of the selvage to which the certificatesto the terminal and initial symbol of notation are annexed and sendingthem with the bill for overcharge to the seller of the goods, who would,of course, take the certificates as a sufficient voucher that the pieceof goods delivered contained no greater length than they specify, andwould rectify the mistake without dispute andas an act of manifestjustice.

In the accompanying drawings, which make part ofthis specification,Figure 1 represents, in perspective, a web of fabric measured,and itsmeasure in linear yards and fractions thereof registered upon one of itsselvages with the initial and terminal notations of registry, eachcovered by a certificate of the measure and identifying-marks of the webeyeleted to the selvage, and with a ticket certifying the same factstagged to the end of the package in the usual way. Fig. 2 represents, inplan, the certificates and ticket shown in Fig. 1, but before they aresevered and respectively annexed to the web. Fig. 2 represents afragment of the web with the initial certificate doubled round theselvage and sealed thereto by eyelets. Fig. 2 represents, by a similarview, the terminal certificate, also doubled round the selvage andsealed thereto by eyelets. Fig. 3 represents, in perspective, a hookconsisting of two series of alternating leaves, each leaf of one seriescousistingof a blank tally-check certificate, a blank certificate ofmeasure and identity, and a blank tally-stub certificate, each of thesecertificates being united to its neighbor by a series of narrow stripsbetween the holes of a line of perforations to admit of their readyseparation when required for use. The other series of leaves are shorterthan the triple'certificate leaves, and each leaf con tains a blankinitial-measure certificate connected with a margin at a lineinterrupted by a series of small perforations, the ruled faces ot theshort and long leaves being toward each other. Fig.4 represents,inperspective,ashort and a long leaf detached from the book, but in theposition they would occupy before detachment when arranged to have theirblanks filled, the blank initial certificate being turned back upon itsmargin to bring its cohnnns and headings into line with those of thelong leaf, that all entries common to both may be tallied consecutivelyand continuously. Fig. 5 represents,in plan,one of thesingle'certificate short leavesof the book detached and with its ruledside uppermost. Fig. 6 represents, in plan, one of thetriple-certificate long leaves of the book with its ruled sideuppermost. Fig. 7 represents, in plan, one of the eyelets for sealingthe certificate to the salvage, with a legend stamped upon its head.Fig. 8 represents an axial section of the eyelet shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9represents, in plan, the end of the shank of the eyelet after it hasbeen headed down upon the certificate, with certain radialauthenticating-marks impressed upon it in the process of spreading overand heading down or sealing its end, or preparatory or supplementalthereto. Fig. 10 represents, in perspective, the end of a punch formaking the radial impressions shown in Fig. 9. Fig. 11 represents theannular imprint of astamp surrounding a registry-symbol of measure. Fig.12 represents, in plan, an empty seal-case and notation-cover to be usedin sealing up and covering any registry-symbol, or to identify the endsof the fabric. Fig. 13 represents a section of the empty seal-case atthe line as a: of Fig. 12. Fig. 14 represents a similar section, showingthe case filled with sealing-cement and attached to the salvage ofapiece of cloth, the cement having the impression of a seal on itssurface. Fig. 15 represents a group of punch-holes or brand-marks in thecloth, associated with a registry-symbol of measure.

In the drawings I have represented afew of the multitude of forms ofcertification, open or closed, in which my invention may be applied tofabrics as a test and guarantee of delivery to a purchaser of the fullquantity of fabric sold to him.

An autograph, emblem, mark, stamp, cipher, or seal made by writing,printing, stamping, branding, sealing, punching, orotherwise upon thefabric itself, or upon a ticket, card, label, plate, disk, eyelet, orrivet, made of paper, cloth, leather, india-rubber, metal, or othersuitable material, annexed, attached, or secured to the fabric in anysuitable way, to denote, attest, or identify a piece of fabric, amlindicate or certify to its linear measure, may, any or all of them, beemployed in reducing my invention to practice; but as they are meanswell known in the arts of communicating and authenticating ideas andfacts, they will require no particular description in order to beunderstood aml applied after I shall have described the manner ofapplication and effect of the typical instances or forms repre sented inthe drawings.

The first step toward making up a piece of fabric into a package orparcel of certified length is to affix an initial certificate to the endof the piece at which the measurement and registry are to begin. Snell acertificate, I, is shown in Fig.2, before annexation to the selvage. Itis applied to the cloth by first folding it at the line a, Fig. 2,between the headings and numbers which are to be on the inside of thefold. The edge of the selvagc at the end of the web is now insertedbetween the folds of the certificate, and holes are punched through theselvage coincident with the holes ccccin the certificate. Eyeletsd d arethen passed through the holes in the leaves of the certificate and theincluded selvage, and their shanks are headed down firmly upon thecertificate by means of an eyelet-fastener having a taperingspindle-spreader and curved flange-header, such as shown in Fig. 10,provided with narrow chisel-edge radial ribs, the

impression of which-upon the end of the shanks will make a correspondingseries of marks upon the turned-down end or counter-head of the blank.

The initial certificate I of measure, the terminal certificate T ofmeasure, and the ticketcertificate O of the same, as shown in Fig. 2,may be made on a small sheet of stout tough paper, with tally columnsand divisions for identity-marks and the length of the fabric printedwith appropriate headings common to all, and with lines of punctureswhere the certificates are to be severed. These blank divisions ofthe-columns, when the certificates are used, are filled with numbersrepeated in the several certificates of the series. First, the number ofthe case in which the piece of fabric to be immediately measured,certified, and packaged'is to be placed for storage or sale is enteredunder the appropriate head. Next is entered the number corresponding tothe style of the fabric, which includes the width, weight, material, orcolor, and mode of weaving, as plain, drilled, ribbed, figured, 850;next the number of the piece in consecutive order of this style of goodswhich has been meas- A ured,packaged, and certified. The filling up ofthe initial certificate is now complete, and is to be severed andaffixed to the end of the web, as before described. This being done, thefabric must next be measured, and the linear yards, or other units ifpreferred, and the usual subdivisions .thereof registered upon theselvage in the customary way. This can best be done by means of theautomatic machine which I have invented for that purpose, and which isthe subject of another patent. The length in yards of the piece-in thisinstance thirtyone and one-eighth yards-is now to be entered upon theterminal certificate T and check-oer tificate O. The repetition of anentry in a column extending across the several certificates I termtallying, and as such consecutive repetition of a number or othersymbol, that can all be seen at once by the eye, is a great safeguardagainst errors of entry, I deem it an important element of myimprovement. The terminal certificate is now ready for annexation to theselvage of the piece at the terminal end of the registry, as the initialcertificate was annexed to the opposite end, by means of eye-- lets. Theannular heads of these eyelets may have the name of the manufacturer orany other appropriate legend or mark stamped or otherwise made upontheir surface, and their edges may be milled, scalloped, or have-slenderserrations formed on them when made or afterward, preparatory to orwhile being set in the cloth by the fastening mechanism, in a mannersimilar to that in which the opposite end or counter-head of the shankis marked, as aforesaid, so that force could not be applied vto eitherend of the eyelet to loosen it and remove the certificate to anotherpart of the selvage having a shorter length registered upon it withoutsuch defacement as would show that the rivets had been tampered with.This is an essential matter, as the guarantee to make good any shortmeasure will always be upon the express condition that the certificatesand seals thereof shall be returned in their complete integrity unopenedand untampcred with as true and genuine vouchers of error.

When it so happens that the terminal certificate is attached at the endof the selvage at the fraction of a yard distant from the lastyard-notation, in cutting off the certificate to authenticate a claim ofshort measure as much of the selvage must go with the certificate as isnecessary to include the nearest yard-notation, that it may appear onwhat yard and fraction thereof in the registry the certificate wasattsched.

The initial certificate may be annexed to the first yard-notation, or tothe first one-eighth of a yard registry-mark, if preferred, and in thatcase the yard-tally should not be left blank, but there should beentered upon it in the column under the heading-yards the numerals 1 or5-, as the case may be, but I prefer, as a general rule, to annex it tothe extreme'end of the selvage.

The certificates will, of course, be varied in the number, kind, andarrangement of their identification-marks and rulingto suitthe businessand views of difierent manufacturers and merchants. Some will prefer tohave the certificates large and of heavy strong paper for heavy goods.Others will require light, small, neat, and even artistically-decoratedcertificates for laces and other fine and costly goods. Some will preferthe series of certificates tied in bunches or put up in parcels orboxes,while others would prefer to have the certificates bound in books, witha stub-certificate added, to be preserved as a record of the measure andidentifying marks of every piece of goods measured, packaged, certified,and cased. In such a case each book would be numbered as shown in Fig.3, and each certificate in the book would hear a corresponding number,so that whenever afterward a certificate should be presented it couldinstantly be referred to its proper stub, the bound stubs being filedaway in numerical order, as of course they would be, as original recordsof a manufactory ora counting-house. Such abound book is represented inFig. 3. It is composed of a series of short and another of longalternating leaves.

.The long leaves have at their outer ends an eyelet hole which doublestheir thickness. This increase of thickness at that end is compensatedby the short inter-leaves at the stub end. A short leaf precedes eachlong one, and the ruled faces of the leaves are laid together, becausethen they admit of all the tally-numbers and marks being brought intoline, as shown in Fig. 4. The headings of the stubcolumns are in thisposition of the leaves covered, but that causes no inconvenience, as theheadings of the turned-over initial certificate replaces them at theleft end of the columns during the tallying.

The stamp whose annular imprint is shown in Fig. 11 maybe an ordinaryengraved or letter-type printing-stamp with the name of the manufacturerupon its face, or it may include his name and the date of stamping likean ordinary post-ofiice orcounting-house stamp, and a stamp of this kindmay be used to certify the registry at both extremities of a piece, orto seal or mark authentically the extremities of a measured piece whichis not registered.

The punched holes shown in Fig. 15, in association with aregistration-number, may conveniently be made by means of a compoundstamp punch and die, each punch having its own die or matrix, and beinginterchangeable with either ofthe other of the series in the stock orhead in which they are held, so that their transposition, under the lawof permutation, will make a great number of changes relative to eachother and to the margin and registratation mark with which it may beassociated. The number of such changes may be increased by so settingeach punch in its socket that it may be turned on its axis to set it intwo or more definite positions therein. This seal may also be used as abrand on such fabrics as would receive an impression advantageously inthat way.

The seal-case and seal shown in Figs. 12, 13, and 14 are to facilitatethe use of cement seals. The case consists of a rim, 0, and a centraldisk,s, connected with the rim by slender arms t. The disk is for thepurpose of being laid close upon the cloth to cover the notation-symbolor other point which the seal is designed to authenticate. The rimstands up from the cloth to contain the cement in a fluid state andprevent it from spreading until it sets. The open spaces between thedisk and rim permit the cement to attach itself to the surface of thecloth, and if a vacuum should be maintained beneath these open spacesfor a. moment while the cement was in a fluid state it would penetratethe interstices of the fabric more thoroughly and attach itself theretomore firmly.

The cement used should be tough, strong, and set quickly. Goodsealing-wax answers a very good purpose, but would be better if lessbrittle. The rim of the case supports the wax, and in a large measurecompensates its brittleness. The upper or under edge of the rim shouldhave a narrow tlange turned inward. In applying this case it should belaid with its central disk fiat upon the face of the cloth on the pointto be authenticated. The case should then be tilled with fluid cement,which, when sufticiently stiffened to receive a good impression, shouldhave a seal applied with such device or legend thereon, depressed or inrelief, as may be deemed most suitable.

The seals and methods of authenticating registry-marks and the ends offabric may be arranged in positions relative to such marks or ends, andthe key to the relation may be kept secret until it is necessary todisclose it in exposing a spurious claim for. short measure. The sealedcertificates annexed to the ends of the cloth may have a secret mark asa counter-check, and such mark may be the relation of a punch-hole, abrand, or of a seal to the certificate of measure. Such mark orcounter-check and its key should be noted on the stub of thecertificate-book as a record of convenient reference.

If it were required to make up a retail-customers parcel of a piece ofcloth-say nine and one-quarter yards long, cut off from a remnant oftwentytwo and one-half yards of a registered web -the customers pieeeinthat case would have a terminal registry of twentytwo and one-half yardsand an initial registry of fourteen less three-quarters of a yard, andif sealed at both ends of its registered selvage with the stamp-seal, asshown in Fig. 11, or with the punch-seal shown in Fig. 15 in case of anymistake in cutting ofl' the piece, by which less than nine andone-quarter yards went into the customers parcel, the seal at each end,with as much of the selvage as necessary to include the next notation-mark, which, in this case, would be 22 for the terminal and 14 for theinitial seal, would he evidence of the mistake, and might be cut out andreturned to the merchantif a reclamation for overcharge only was wanted;but if the full measure of cloth was required, then the piece could bereturned and the seals would show that the measure was originally short.If the web from which the piece was cut was unregistered, the seals atthe ends of the selvage untampered with would in that case show themeasure to have been originally short,and on the return of the piece tothe merchant would demonstrate to him that it had not been clipped whilein possession either of the customer or of the carrier.

1 claim as an improvement in the art of making up fabrics intomerchantable packages and into purchasers parcels- I. An improvementiuthe art of making up fabrics into mcrchantable packages and intopurchasers parcels, which consists in annexin g to each piece of fabricone or more closed or sealed certificates of its identity and linearmeasure, substantially as described.

2. In a piece of fabric packaged or parceled, and having its linearmeasure registered upon its surface, as described, one or morecertificates (virtual or actual) annexed to the fabric, in connectionwith the notation-symbols of its measurement, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

JOSEPH J. SCHOLFIELD.

Witnesses:

E. E. MASSON, W. B. MASSON.

